St. Paul Man Sentenced in Case Involving College Student’s Death

South Saint Paul, MN (MinnesotaNow) -A St. Paul man has been sentenced to five years in prison for a conviction connected to a fatal shooting last year that claimed the life of a college student.

Jury Acquits Ranzy of Murder and Manslaughter

Twenty-year-old Terrel Anthony Ranzy was charged with second-degree murder, second-degree manslaughter and illegal possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a crime of violence. He was tried on the charges in Dakota County Court in May, and the jury acquitted him of the murder and manslaughter charges but found him guilty of illegal possession of a firearm.

College Student Found Dead at Scene

According to the criminal complaint, the victim, 20-year-old Matthew Robert Lee, was with Ranzy and a group of others when they went to a residence in South St. Paul around 3 a.m. on September 12. South St. Paul police were sent to the house about 45 minutes later on what was initially reported as a medical call. They found Lee on the floor of an upstairs bedroom with a large amount of blood on his clothing. He was unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene.

The court document describes Lee as an innocent bystander to an attempted robbery.

Brian Jackson

Second Man Suffered Apparent Gunshot Wounds

The complaint says officers also found another 20-year-old man with a tourniquet on his left arm and apparent gunshot wounds to his arms and torso. A handgun was also found on a table in the room.

Witnesses Describe Alleged Attempted Robbery

The court document says witnesses told investigators that the other man told Lee and a witness that he planned to rob Ranzy of his gun. Despite being urged by Lee and the witness not to do it, the second man allegedly pulled out his firearm and ordered Ranzy to hand over his weapon.

South St. Paul Police Department via Facebook

14 Shell Casings Recovered at Scene

The complaint says a witness told officers that Ranzy responded by falling backward onto a bed and firing his gun multiple times, striking Lee and the other man. The witness also said the would-be robber and Ranzy both fired their weapons. Investigators later recovered 14 spent shell casings from two different firearms at the scene.

Witnesses told police that Ranzy then fled the home. He was later found hiding inside a shed on a nearby property and was taken into custody.